Adjustable broiler grid



July 16, 1940.

J. E. LEONARD Re. 21,508

ADJUSTABLE BROILER GRID Original Filed April 15, 1935 FIE E INVENTOR.

23 33 Jo sep/r [.Zeo rd BY W 32 ATTORNEY Reissued July 16, 1940 1 UNITEDSTATES ADJUSTABLE BBOILEB GRID joseph E. Leonard, Berkeley, cam,assignor to Hammer-Bray Company, Ltd., Oakland, Calif" a corporation ofNevada Original No. 2,135,309, dated November 1, 1938, Serial No.16,397, April 15, 1935. Application for reissue August 16, 1939. SerialNo. 290,520

9 Claims.

The invention relates to a means arranged for use in a broilercompartment of a range or stove for moving the broiler grid or pan to,and holding same in, different elevations in the compartment.

An object of the invention is to provide a means of the characterdescribed, which will be formed as a part of a drawer which is movableinto and out of the oroiler compartment and upon 10 which the broilergrid or pan is carried.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means of the characterdescribed which requires no mutilation of or attachment to any of thestove members, yet is easily and conveniently operated by means whichremains concealed except when the broiler compartment is opened.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means of the characterdescribed, in which the operative mechanism thereof is at all timesconcealed from view and fully shielded from the heat and cookingproducts in the compartment.

A still further object of the invention is to so design the device thatwhen the grid and pan are removed from the broiler compartment,

the portion of the device remaining in the compartment will beunobstrusive, easy to clean, and permit of the free use of practicallythe entire space in the compartment.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the followingdescription of the preferred form of the invention which is illustratedin the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It isto be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by thesaid drawing and descrip-. tion may be adopted within the scope of theinvention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawing:

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view taken through a stove broilercompartment equipped with the grid adjusting means of my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken at right angles to the view shown inFigure l, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 2-4 inthe latter figure.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken at right angles to Figure 2,the plane of the section being indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail vertical sectional view of a portion of the leverretaining rack used in the device.

In the embodiment of the invention here described, the means is designedfor use in cona nection with a roller supported carrier 2 upon which thebroiler pan 3 or other grid element is removably mounted for positioningin or out of the broiler compartment 4. The latter comprises a part of astove or range and has disposed therein, but not herein shown, a burneror the I like which is usually positioned in fixed relation near the topof the compartment.

The carrier 2, as here illustrated, includes a drawer-like structure 6formed with a bottom wall 1, side walls 8, and a rear wall 0, the front10 of the drawer structure being preferably left entirely open so thatthe pan may be moved into or out or the structure and access readily hadto the pan if desired without removing the same from the compartment.Support of the carrier II is by means of rollers ll carried by theformer and engaging guides or tracks I! on the bottom of thecompartment, and rollers l3 mounted on the tracks and engaged by stripsH on the under side of the drawer structure 6. go

Positioned within the structure l and preferably located adjacent theside walls 8, are a pair of movable rests IS on which the pan I isarranged to be supported while on the comet.

The rests extend parallel to said walls, that is 35 from the front tothe rear of the structure, and are preferably in the form of strips orplates which may be caused to lie practically flat upon the bottom wallI. Desirably the portions of the wall I underlying the rests l8 aredepressed so so that when the latter are caused to lie in the positionaforesaid the rests will be coplanar with the portion ll of the wall Itherebetween, and form therewith a relatively smooth flat bottom onwhich the pan may be superimposed. 35

As will be clear from Figure 3, the pan is arranged to be supported onthe beaded edges I I of the rests, and the rests are so mounted thatsuch edges may be raised or lowered to thereby move the pan whendisposed thereon, to different 40 elevations on the carrier. The featureof having the drawer entirely open at the front in combination with thefeature of having the grid rests extending lengthwise of the drawer,makes practical and safe in all positions of the rests, 45 the slidinginsertion or withdrawal of the pan into or from the drawer from thefront thereof. To afford the desired raising or lowering of the edgesl8, the rests are pivotally connected to the drawer structure formovement about a horizontal axis parallel to the side walls, and as hereshown such connection is made for each rest by means of a rod l9 fixedfor movement with the associated rest and pivotally mounted at one endin the rear wall 9 and at the other end in an s earil formedonafrontalmunberflattbeopm endofthestructure. 'Ihememberflislecured tothe bottom and side walls and incidentally provides a reinforcementforthestructm'e. Each of the rods I! is located immediately adjacenttheside walls but above the depressed portion of the bottom wall, anddesirably the portion of the rest at the rod is offset upwardly andformed the oilsets will in no way interfere with the proper positioningof the pan upon the bottom wall of rests in any position of the latter.

To rotate the rests about their pivot axes, there is here shown provideda lever 23 conveniently fulcrumed to the bottom wall by a bolt 24 andconnected by means oi links 28 to crank arms 21 fixed to the rods, thelinks for the different rods as will be clear from Figure 1, beingconnected to the lever at opposite sides of the fulcrum bolt. The leverand links are all located on the under side of the bottom wall. whilethe arms extend from the links to the rods through slots 28 in suchwall. Access to the lever so as to rotate the rests is afforded at thefront of the structure where a portion of the lever extends through anarcuate slot 2! formed in the frame member 22. Desirably the exposed endof the lever is provided with a handle or knob ii to facilitateoperation thereof by the user.

Means are provided inassociation with' the lever for releasably lockingsame in any one of a 'selective number of positions so as to therebycause the rests and consequently the pan to be maintained at the desiredelevation. As here shown. such means comprises a segmental rack 32convenient y fixed to the frontal member on the under side thereof andhaving a series of spaced stops 33 lying in the horizontal path ofmovement of the lever. The lever is permitted a' limited verticalmovement and the stops It are so positioned that the lever will clearsame when the lever is moved horizontally while in raised position. onthe other hand, when the lever is released it will drop into positionfor engagement with the stops so that its horizontal movement will belimited. Preferably the faces of the stops, are inclined as shown inFigure 4 that due to the weight of the pan, the latter tends to move andhold the lever in locked engagement with the stops, and yet at the sametime when the lever is moved to elevate the pan, the former will readilyslide over the stops.

If desired. the member 22 may be marked to correspond with the stops inorder that the operator may readily place the lever in a positionrequired for placing the pan at a desired elevation on the carrier.

It will now be clear that practically all of the parts for effectingmovement ofthe broiler grid and for maintaining same in desired positionare, with the'exception of the rests, disposed below the bottom of thedrawer, are completely shielded from'the interior of the compartmentthereabove and particularly so when the rests are in their lowermostposition and covering the slots 28. Furthermore, sincethe rests may bepositioned to lie flat upon the bottom of the drawer, and in suchposition form a smooth and practically uninterrupted portion of suchbottom, the task of cleaning the drawer is rendered simple and easyandatthesametlmenoobstructionswillbeencountered by the pan whenbeingmoved into or outofthedrawer. Agrillllorthelikemay be placed in or uponunderstood that the term grid or pan, as herein used. is intended tocover any element upon which the article to be broiled is supported. Byreason of the fact that the grid rests remain spaced and leave thecentral portion of the bottom of the drawer unobstructed. in allositions of the rests, ready access to the pan or the like from thefront of the drawer for gripping the same'is considerably facilitated.

' I claim:

1. In an adjustable grid for a broiler, a supporting unit arranged forpositioning in said broiler and having a portion defining a horizontalpartition for the broiler compartment, sectional wall portions providinga grid-rest at the side of said partition and mounted for pivotalmovement from a position coplanar to said partition to a positionelevated therefrom, mechanism positioned substantially exclusively onthe under side of said partition and manually operable from the front ofthe unit to effect pivotal movement of the rests, and means to hold therests selectively in different positions.

2. In an adjustable grid for a broiler. a supporting unit arranged forpositioning in said having a portion defining a horizontal partition forthe broiler compartment, grid-rests on the upper side of said partitionpivoted to said unit for movement about horizontal axes at the sideedges of said partition for movement to and from a positionsubstantially coplanar with said partition, a pan arranged forpositioning on said rests to engage an edge thereof, crank arms ilxedthepan,anditwillbeto said rests for pivotal movement therewith andextending through slots in said partition, a lever carried by said unitand pivotally mounted on the under side of said partition and having onearm extended to the front of said unit, links connecting said lever andcrank-arms whereby on rocking of said lever said rests will be movedabout their pivots to raise and lower said pan, and means for releasablylocking said lever in different positions.

3. In an adjustable grid for a broiler, a drawer mounted for movementinto and out of said broiler and having a portion defining a horizontalpartition for the broiler compartment when the' drawer is disposedtherein, grid rests positioned on the upper side of said partition andmounted to swing about horizontal axes along the side edges of saidpartition for movement upwardly from and downwardly to a positionsubstantially coplanar with said partition, a frame member extendingacross the front portion 01' said drawer and providing a substantialextension of said partition, said partition and said member having slotstherein, mechanism carried by said unit for swinging said rests abouttheir pivotal axes and including parts extending through the slots insaid partition and connected to said rests; and a lever operativelyconnected with said parts and extending through the slot in said framemember to an exposed position at the front of said unit and being urgedin one direction by the supported weight on said rests, and a pluralityof stops selectively engageable by said lever for holding the latteragainst movement in said direction and to hold said rests in differentpositions and being of such form that the force of the leverthereagainst will hold the lever in lock ing engagement therewith.

4. In an adjustable grid for a broiler, asapporting unit arranged forpositioning in said;

broiler and including a relatively fixed wall portion spaced inwardlyfrom the sides of said unit, movable grid supporting wall portionslocated at the sides of said first portion and extending substantiallycoplanar and forming therewith in one position a horizontal partitionsubstantially completely across the unit, and means operable from thefront of the unit and positionedunder said fixed portion for elevatingsaid movable portions to raise the grid supported thereon.

5. In an adjustable grid for a broiler a supporting unit arranged forpositioning in said broiler and including a relatively fixed horizontalwall section spaced inwardly from the sides of said unit, movable wallsections forming in one position substantially horizontal extensions ofsaid first section, a grid having a central depressed portion resting onsaid movable sections and having raised side portions overlying andspaced from said movable sections. said movable sections being pivotedat points between said raised side portions and-said fixed section andadjacent the sides of said unit, and means cov-' ered by said fixed andmovable sections operative from the front of the unit for moving saidsections about the pivots.

6. In an adjustable grid fora broiler, a supporting unit slidablehorizontally into and out of the broiler compartment and having aportion defining a horizontal partition therefore having membersproviding grid" rests extending substantially parallel to thedlrectlonof movement of ment from a position: s'ubstantially'coplanar to saidpartition toa position elevated therefrom,

and mechanism positioned substantially exclusively on theiunderside oisaid-partition and manually operative from the'front oi the unit toeffect pivotal movement of the rests.

7. In an adjustable grid for a broiler, a supporting unit arranged toslide horizontally into and out of thebroiler compartment through thefront there of and having a portion defining a horizontal partition forthe compartment and having a substantially unobstructed front, separatemembers providing grid supporting rails mounted on said supporting unitfor pivotal v movement from a position substantially coplanar with saidpartition to a position elevated therefrom and arranged to extend foreand aft of said-unit in all of the positions of the members whereby thegrid may be supported by both rails at all elevations and in allpositions of the grid during movement upon said rails fore and aft ofthe unit, and mechanism positioned substantially exclusively on theunder side of said partition and manually operative from the front ofthe unit to effect pivotal movement of the members.

8. In an adjustable support for a broiler grid,

a substantially open-front drawer having a horizontal bottom wall and ahorizontal frame piece extending across the front edge of said bottomwall and having its upper surface slightly above the upper surface ofthe wall, separate members extending lengthwise of said drawer andpivotally connected to said frame piece and a rear portion of saiddrawer and having grid rest portions extending substantially from saidframe piece to the rear end of said drawer and actuated upon pivotalmovement of the members to move to or from a'position on said wall withthe upper surface thereof extending to a point lower than butsubstantially adjacent to said upper surface of said frame piece, andmeans operable from the front of the drawer to move and hold saidmembers in different positions, said members being so arranged in saiddrawer as to leave the central'portionof said wall free and uncovered inall of the positions of the members. a substantially unobstructed frontand separate I 9. In an adjustable support for a broiler grid,

rate independent members providing grid rests said partition and mountedfor pivotal moveextending lengthwise of and over said drawer and aposition substantially coplanar to said wall to a position elevatedtherefrom, said members being arranged to remain spaced horizontallyfrom each other so as to leave unobstructed the space over saidbottomwall between said grid rests in all of the elevated positions thereof,means carried under said wall for moving said members, and means at thefrorit of said drawer for operating said moving means and having theuppermost portion thereof extending to adjacent but lower than saidrests in their lowermost position.

JOSEPH E. LEONARD.

